WATCH: I am Lara - this is my life as a transgender person

Born as Thapelo Lehuleri, she works as a popular radio DJ from Motsweding FM.

Kruger, 30, grew up in Rustenberg where, she said, her family knew she was different quite early on but she had their support and love.

“You know they knew I was different. There would be the boys that would want to just tease... but I grew up around so much love and protection.”

I should be able to embrace myself in this country

She told TimesLIVE she had always felt feminine but only fully embraced it while studying cosmetology in college in Pretoria. She says that is when she truly found herself.

“I identify as a woman from a social level. I live my life like a woman on a day-to-day basis. But in terms of my ID, my driver’s licence and matric certificate and all those documentations of life, unfortunately they do still say male because the process [of gender transformation] in our country is not as easy as one may think it is.”